Michael Oher vs Frank Alexander

[MV%doe]

Gross said playing tackle is all about " losing slowly ". That's a great description of playing NFL tackle.

 

In that vid, it looks like oher is losing slowly just fine. 

[Smithers]

He managed to get out of his pre-snap stance and touch the defender before he got to the QB...that is a massive improvement over last season with Bell.  

[PoundCat]

Looks like Frank could have blown by him inside if that had been the objective.

I was thinking the same thing actually. A spin move just after initial contact and he would have been right in the QB's face.

[pantherphan96]

All Cam has to do is step up in the pocket on that play. Oher did a good job. Cam is used to moving around the pocket, he will be fine.

[MHS831]

I like Oher, and here is why-- While he is giving ground, he makes contact earlier than Bell used to--Bell used to take a bout a 170 degree drop and engage the DE some 5-6 yards into the backfield.  Oher seems more determined to play on the LOS, so giving ground is expected.  If you watch this one play, he seems to be surrendering ground to get his angle at 100 degrees or so.

That may sound like math, but I have never seen a T initiate contact in the QBs ear like Bell did.  We did that because he sucked.  Oher wants the battle at the line-- he could be too much LOS and needs to drop more before initiating contact.

His feet look good here, and if you can ride the bull for 4 seconds, you win.  It is hard to tell where the QB would be, or how much Alexander's movement would be limited with other players on the field.  

Alexander, on the other hand, tries a rip move after being engaged for a while.  Too late.  He seems frustrated.  He jacks Oher's head, which gets a call in the NFL, but Oher stays with it.  

I am not impressed with Alexander at all on this play, but I see some promise for Oher.

 

[MHS831]

Now lets talk about the importance of a Norwell or  Ward or a Tolbert or a Brockel.  If Oher knows a G,  FB or HBack has B gap should the End stunt inside, he can concentrate (lean) to the outside.  If the DE spins inside, he jams him to stall his momentum and lets him go, looking for a LB, DB, or even DT to come up and rush around the end.  We are all assuming that Oher will be given man blocking assignments, when drop back pass protection requires zone.

Translation?  OK if Alexander could have done a spin move inside.  If Alexander was rushing C gap, he takes himself out of the play by spinning into B and gets yelled at--even if rushing--they have lanes.  Have 2 guys rush cam through B gap and see how far he runs around the end.  When it appears that a DE spins and changes gap in a game, it is because he set up the T to think he was going C and instead stunted to B. 

Oher is not going to be great, but he is going to be fine.  It bothers me that we have Chandler behind him, when Chandler couldn't beat out Bell for LT last year, but I expect Remmers to be the backup once Williams is ready.

[Bozarden]

Now lets talk about the importance of a Norwell or  Ward or a Tolbert or a Brockel.  If Oher knows a G,  FB or HBack has B gap should the End stunt inside, he can concentrate (lean) to the outside.  If the DE spins inside, he jams him to stall his momentum and lets him go, looking for a LB, DB, or even DT to come up and rush around the end.  We are all assuming that Oher will be given man blocking assignments, when drop back pass protection requires zone.

Translation?  OK if Alexander could have done a spin move inside.  If Alexander was rushing C gap, he takes himself out of the play by spinning into B and gets yelled at--even if rushing--they have lanes.  Have 2 guys rush cam through B gap and see how far he runs around the end.  When it appears that a DE spins and changes gap in a game, it is because he set up the T to think he was going C and instead stunted to B. 

Oher is not going to be great, but he is going to be fine.  It bothers me that we have Chandler behind him, when Chandler couldn't beat out Bell for LT last year, but I expect Remmers to be the backup once Williams is ready.

Undisciplined rushers are what makes russel Wilson so hard to contain. If you just play your gaps and keep him inside the pocket you Will start seeing more perfomances Like the One against green Bay in the NFCCG and fewer Like the One against us in the divisional round